The night was gentle with them.
It wasn't cold or hot. The air felt soft against their skin, as if it didn't want to hurt anyone. The streetlights cast a warm yellow glow, and the city felt tired and calm, cars drifting far off, a dog barking once, someone laughing somewhere out of sight.
Keghan walked on the left side of the sidewalk. Jeyan walked on the right.
Their hands were close, not touching yet, but just near enough to feel each other's warmth.
Jeyan was smiling.
She always smiled like that when she was happy, not wide or loud, just soft. It was as if she were hiding something precious inside her chest, afraid it might spill if she laughed too hard.
Keghan noticed it, as he always did.
"You're staring again," Jeyan said.
Her voice was gentle, almost playful.
Keghan blinked and looked away quickly. "I'm not."
Jeyan laughed. "You are. You always do when you think I'm not looking."
"I just... forget sometimes," Keghan said.
"Forget what?"
"That you're real."
Jeyan stopped walking.
Keghan took two more steps before he realized. He turned around, panic rising in his chest, as it always did when he thought he'd said something wrong.
Jeyan looked at him. Her eyes were wide, reflecting the streetlight above them.
"Dear," she said quietly. "That's a strange thing to say."
He swallowed. "I didn't mean it like that. I just-"
She stepped closer before he could finish. Her fingers reached out and took his hand. Her hand was smaller than his, warm, and a little rough from the part-time job she worked after school.
"I'm real," she said. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Keghan nodded, though something deep inside him shook at her words.
"I know," he said.
But part of him didn't. Part of him always feared that good things wouldn't last.
They started walking again.
They had just left a small cafe near the train station. It was nothing special. Plastic chairs, chipped mugs, and a cheap cake that was too sweet. But Jeyan loved it. She said places like that felt honest.
They shared one slice of cake, feeding each other with small forks. Jeyan got frosting on her nose, and Keghan laughed so hard he almost choked on his drink.
"You're mean," Jeyan had said, wiping her nose and then smearing a bit of frosting on his cheek in revenge.
Keghan had frozen in shock.
Then they both laughed until their stomachs ached.
Now, as they walked home, that memory still warmed them like sunlight.
"Did you have fun?" Jeyan asked.
Keghan nodded. "I always do when I'm with you."
She squeezed his hand. "Good answer."
They walked past closed shops. Metal shutters were pulled down, covered in old posters and graffiti. A stray cat watched them from an alley, its eyes shining like tiny moons.
Jeyan hummed quietly. It was a song she liked but never remembered the words to, so she always made up sounds instead.
Keghan listened, as he always did.
"Dear," Jeyan said suddenly. "What are you thinking about?"
Keghan hesitated.
He had been thinking about the future. How he wanted moments like this to never end, and how scared he was that something would take this away one day.
"Nothing important," he lied.
Jeyan frowned. "That's not true."
He sighed. "I was just thinking... when we graduate."
Jeyan's eyes lit up. "Oh."
"Yeah."
They slowed their steps.
"I want to work where you work," Jeyan said quickly. "Even if it's hard. I don't care if it's a big job or a small job. I just want us to eat together everywhere."
Keghan smiled. "That sounds nice."
"And I want a small place," she continued. "Not too big. Big houses feel lonely."
"Agreed."
"And maybe," she said, her voice softer now, "a dog and a cat."
Keghan laughed. "You can barely wake up on time for school."
"I'll learn!" she protested. "Dogs are good teachers and cats are good for therapy."
They both laughed again.
They stopped at a pedestrian crossing. The light was red. Cars passed by slowly, their headlights cutting through the dark.
Jeyan leaned her head against Keghan's arm.
"Dear?"
"Yes, Dear?"
"Promise me something."
His heart tightened. "What is it?"
"Promise me that even if things get hard, you won't leave."
He didn't answer right away.
He turned to her fully. "Dear. I would never-"
"I know," she said. "I just want to hear it."
He took her face gently in his hands. Her skin was warm. Her eyes searched his, serious now.
"I promise," he said. "No matter what happens. I'll stay."
Jeyan smiled again, that soft smile.
The pedestrian light turned green.
They stepped forward together.
That was when everything broke.
The sound came first.
A loud metal screaming, tires screeching, and glass shattering. It didn't sound real. It sounded like the world was tearing apart.
Keghan felt a sudden force slam into his side.
The ground disappeared.
The sky spun.
Pain exploded everywhere at once.
He hit the road hard. The breath was knocked out of his lungs, leaving him gasping like a fish thrown onto land. His ears rang. The lights above blurred and stretched.
"Jeyan-!"
He tried to move.
His body wouldn't listen.
Something warm spread beneath him. He didn't know if it was blood or just fear.
The world came back in pieces.
Shouting.
A car horn is blaring endlessly.
Someone screaming. Someone crying.
Keghan turned his head slowly. Every movement felt like fire.
Then he saw her.
Jeyan was on the road, a few meters away.
Her body was twisted in a way it shouldn't be. One leg was bent wrong. Her dress was torn and stained dark.
Her eyes were open.
"Dear," Keghan whispered.
His voice barely existed.
Her fingers twitched.
She saw him.
Their eyes met.
In that moment, the world became very quiet.
Jeyan tried to move.
She cried out, a small, broken sound that ripped through Keghan's chest.
She placed her palms on the road and pushed, wanting to make sure Keghan was alright.
Her body dragged forward, slow and painful, leaving a thin red trail behind her.
"Ke... ghan..." she breathed.
Keghan screamed.
He tried to crawl toward her, but his body wouldn't obey. His legs felt numb. His arms shook violently.
"I'm here," he cried. "I'm here... don't move... please..."
She kept crawling.
Each movement cost her everything.
Her face was pale now. Her lips trembled.
She reached out her hand.
Just a little more.
Just a little.
Keghan stretched his fingers toward her.
The distance between them felt endless.
"I promised," he sobbed. "I promised I wouldn't leave. I'm right here. Please... please..."
Jeyan smiled.
Even now.
Blood bubbled at the corner of her mouth when she spoke.
"Don't... cry," she whispered. "You look... ugly when you cry."
Keghan laughed and sobbed at the same time. "You're stupid," he said. "This isn't funny."
Her hand fell short.
Her fingers brushed the air.
Then her strength failed.
Her arm collapsed.
Her head dropped to the road.
"No," Keghan said.
"No, no, no."
He dragged himself forward using only his elbows, screaming in pain, tearing skin on the rough asphalt.
"Jeyan! Dear!"
Her eyes fluttered.
She looked at him one last time.
There was fear there.
But more than fear, there was love.
And sadness.
"I'm... sorry..." she whispered.
For what? For dying? For leaving him?
Keghan shook his head violently. "Don't say that. Stay. Please stay."
Her eyes slowly lost focus.
Her chest stopped moving.
The world rushed back in all at once. Sirens, shouting, footsteps running toward them.
But Keghan heard nothing.
He only saw her.
Still.
Silent.
Gone.
Something inside him shattered completely.
This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.
He screamed her name until his throat burned. He reached her at last and grabbed her hand. It was already growing cold.
"Wake up," he begged. "You promised. You said you weren't going anywhere."
No answer.
His tears fell onto her face.
"Please," he whispered. "I'll do anything."
The night, which had once been kind, did not answer him.
And somewhere deep inside Keghan's broken mind, a desperate thought formed...
If anything could hear him...
If anything could answer...
He would give everything.